Plasticine’s vivid colors and texture that makes it easy to mold make it a favorite among kids for crafts. But occasionally, kids want their creations to last longer, and in those situations, hardening plasticine comes in handy. You can increase the permanence of those amusing sculptures by hardening.
However, unlike clay, plasticine does not harden naturally. How can it be made firmer? You can try a number of methods, each with advantages and disadvantages of its own. It’s critical to understand which methods are most effective for the kind of plasticine you’re using and the level of effort you wish to achieve.
We’ll look at the most popular methods for hardening plasticine in this post so that your kids’ artwork can last a lot longer.
| Feature | Description |
| Air drying | Leave the plasticine exposed to air for several hours to harden naturally. |
| Baking | Place the plasticine in the oven at a low temperature to speed up the hardening process. |
| Boiling | Boil the plasticine in water for a few minutes to make it firm. |
| Freezing | Put the plasticine in the freezer to temporarily harden it for short-term use. |
About the material
The easiest way to solve the issue is actually to purchase a special mass in advance for the child, which is meant to be used as a storage space for completed assignments. Such plasticine is unique in that it releases moisture very quickly, allowing it to harden upon mere air contact. Plasticine is kept in specific hermetic jars to prevent premature hardening; once removed, it regains its regular appearance.
Once it has finally hardened, in just one day it will no longer resemble its classic counterpart, so you will need to sculpt from it quickly.
- Firstly, plasticine that hardens in the air must be bought in advance, that is, you will not save a ready-made figurine made of simple material with it.
- Secondly, working with it implies not a possible, but a guaranteed excellent result, because you may not have time to fix a failed product.
- Thirdly, this is actually a self-hardening sculptural material that does not allow multiple use – it is difficult to study on it, because then you will need too much raw material, and all unsuccessful attempts can only be thrown away.
With just a little baking or drying time, children can make long-lasting sculptures out of hardening plasticine. This kind of clay solidifies, in contrast to conventional plasticine, which remains soft and flexible, making it ideal for preserving artistic endeavors. Kids can transform their transient creations into enduring mementos, making it a great tool for fostering imaginative play and fine motor skill development.
Material for sculptures
There are several names for this substance: polymer clay, sculpture plasticine, art plasticine, and even just plastic. Although real sculptors also learn and refine their skills on it, some are fortunate enough to work with it even in school labor lessons. Since its original purpose is precisely the classical type of sculpture, polymer clay is rarely sold in sets, unlike any other type of plasticine. Instead, it is sold in separate bars of various colors.
One significant "but" is that the owner now decides when the form will be fixed, even though polymer clay must also be purchased in advance and the hardened piece cannot be reused.
In this case, however, the fixation is actually caused by high temperature; depending on the kind of base, the resultant figure needs to be kept in the oven or boiled in water. This is a requirement for hardness, so you can use heated-hardening plasticine indefinitely until it gets cooked. You can use it for modeling in the same manner as the most common mass if you skip this crucial step.
How to turn the usual into a solid?
There are two methods for giving regular plasticine an entirely new, unusual hardness. It is true that this needs to be made clear: at first, it will be more solid, making it harder to sculpt from.
The simplest way to increase plasticine’s chemical composition is to use it. Clay is frequently used as the primary raw material to make this substance, but it does not knead well enough to be used repeatedly. In order to facilitate modeling, manufacturers must incorporate bonds, and they must add plasticizers to enhance elasticity and softness. Our goal is to make the composition contain fewer of these plasticizers.
This is accomplished very easily:
- Cut or break ordinary plasticine into small strips, and place in a container with water – so that contact with the liquid is carried out over the maximum area.
- Heat the container in any way until the plasticine melts completely, then stir the resulting mixture thoroughly.
- As it cools, the plasticine will begin to harden again, but the plasticizers, which are fats, will at least partially be washed out by the water. Collect the hardening plasticine and carefully squeeze it out of the water-fat mixture, then place it in the freezer to completely remove the water.
- Pour out the remaining water-plasticizer mixture. Depending on how pronounced the effect you need, you can repeat the procedure several times.
- There is another unusual way to increase the stability of the future product. To do this, ordinary plasticine must first be mixed with finely chopped pieces of a material that does not change its properties under the influence of a typical room temperature.
Copper wire is typically suggested as one of these additions. If you can use it to create a complete frame that can hold up a sculpture that is too heavy, you don’t even need to cut it.
Plasticine that hardens is a multipurpose tool that can stimulate kids’ imaginations and aid in the development of their fine motor abilities. It provides a creative and instructive way for children to pass the time, enabling them to mold and shape their ideas into enduring creations.
It’s crucial to adhere to the directions on how to dry and store the creations when using hardening plasticine. By doing this, you can make sure that the finished product won’t crumble or crack over time.
All things considered, hardening plasticine is an excellent option for parents who want to support their child’s artistic development because it combines the best qualities of both regular clay and a hardened sculpture.
